The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-07
A Big CIRCUS BURNED.
Barnum's Winter Quarters at
Bridgeport Destroyed.
The Greater Part of the Wild
Animals Lose their Lives.

Inc main building OF BarnurnS winter
quarters, at Bridgeport, Conn.,, where ''The
Greatest Show OH Earth is kept through the
winter, was entirely destroyed by fire at
1880 Sunday evening. The loss is
about $4,000; insured for 100000.
Three elephants and all the menagerie
excepting one lion and hippopotamus
were burned. Thirty elephants and one huge
African hippopotamus burst through the sides
of the burning building, and rushed roaring
through the streets. Six of the elephants
were terribly burned. Great pieces
of flesh fell from their sides, and their blood
spattered the ground as they ran. The af-
r.ghted spectators dared not approach the
burning building, fearing the crazed ami
mails
The fire started in the horse room. A
watchman was going his rounds when his
lantern exploded, the light hay caught fire,
building was in flames 1t was 900
feet long by 200 wide. All the
second story were the seats, tents, poles, and
plumes, also all the harnesses and trappings
for street parades and ring per-
formances. In the cat room were
lions, tigers, hyenas, and the tr-menag-
erie LII IlllS ToOlu Gne HOWlS AMI InOdnS
of the dying beasts were terrible. They were
burned upin wooden cages on clumsy wheels,
and no effort was made to save any Of them.
A lion and several smaller animals escaped
and are loose in the streets. In the elephant
room were thirty-nine elephants. Three were
burned, six escaped through the sides of the
building, and the remainder broke their chains
and ran through the open door to the street.
The keeper was away and no effort was made
to capture the infuriated animals Some ran
toward the open country.
Thousands of spectators flocked to see the
fire, but when it became known that the ami
mails were loose hundreds rushed to their
homes and barricaded themselves in. The
los on the building is $4,000, and on the
animals $500, O,OOo, and on fixtures $500, ,0oO.
z. T. Barnum was ut the Murray Hill
Hotel. New York, and James Bailey, his
partner, is at his home in Bridgeport. Mr..
Brotherell, Barnum's agent, said that the
buildings would be rebuilt in Jersey City, as
the railroad facilities were greater there
than at Bridgeport. Charles McLain and
Louis Hedger, Barnums agents, began to
make arrangements for new animals and at
fractions before the fire was out.
The fire was so fierce that no effort was
made by the firemen to save the building; it
burned like tinder. Streams of water were
thrown upon the adjoining buildings. The
u.
All the chariots, band, and tableau wagons
were run out into the adjoining fields.
The sacred white elephant was among the
animals burned 1t started for the door, but
turned back and perished. A lion mutilated
the leg of George Tucker He was carried
into the Atlantic Hotel, and BARLEY O'Con-
nor, the hotel surgeon, dressed the wound.
The leg had to be anputated.
The first intimation of the fire was given
1,I,fI fIa IF ha o,,l ol,
seemed to realize the impending danger.
Next the elephants struggled in their chains,
but in an incredibly short time the
flames swept from one end Of the huge
structure to the other. There were
six watchmen employed on the
premises, but they were helpless to check the
flames. The upper portion of the building was
filed with hay and all the paraphcrnalia Of
the great show. Before the first alarm ceased
sounding, the whole building was enveloped
in fire.
In the horse room were all the ring animals
trained stations, ponies, &c. These were
all burned. In the upper rooms were all the
tents, poles, seats, harnesses, &C., for the
entire show, and these, too, were all
destroyed. In the cat room were the BIRDS
monkeys, three rbinoceroses, hyenas, tigers,
lions, and all the menagerie, which
fell prey to the flames. So rapidly did
the tiremen made no attempt to save it, but
turned their streams upon the chariot and Cal.
shells, which they succeeded in saving; but
The heat was SO intense that this was accom-
plished with the greatest difficulty.
The lion which the police attempted to kill
at the time the fire broke out was afterward
found in barn devouring COW which he
had killed. He was shot
The watchman making his rounds discov-
cred the fire and started to give the alarm,
when some unknown person hit him on the
head with blunt instrument, telling him to
the ground and cutting a number of severe
gashes on his head He staggered to his feet
and gave the alarm, enabling the other
watchmen in the building, who were pre-
pairing for bed to escape